Half to cornelius s



(No Model.)

P. D. FORD.

PROCESS OF MAKINGBARBED FENCES.

No. 810,813. Patented Jan. 13, 1885.

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ll'nrrnn Fra'rns PATENT FRANKLIN D. FORD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO CORNELIUS S. SWEETLAND, OF SAME PLAOE.

PROCESS F MAKING BARBED FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,813, dated January 13, 1885.

Application filed June 17, 1884. No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN D. FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Barbed Fences, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of barbed fence rails or strips in which spurs or pro jections are formed integral with said rails or strips by making incisions at the edges thereof and turning the cut portions at right angles to the edges of the fence rails or strips.

The object of the invention is to facilitate the formation of the edgespurs on barbed I 5 fencestrips, and produceagreater number of spurs in a given length of rail than by any of the methods of producing said spurs heretofore devised.

To these ends the invention consists in making V-shaped or oblique incisions along the edge of a fiat strip or plate of metal. twisting the latter into a spiral shape, and turning the cut portions at right angles to the edge of said plate, so as to produce a fencerail having the spurs or barbs extending therefrom in all directions.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a strip or plate of metal having V-shaped incisions made along its edge for forming o pointed spurs. Fig. 2 is a side view of a spirally-twisted fencerail having spurs projecting therefrom, said spurs being formed by bending the incised portion of the fencerail. Fig. 3 is a modification of the manner 3 5 of cutting the rail to form the spurs.

The reference-number l designates a fiat strip of iron or steel, which is made of any desired thickness and width, and has aseries of spurs or barbs, 2, formed therein or made 0 integral therewith. Said spurs are formed by making V-shaped incisions or cuts along the edge of the metal strip 1, the line of cut extending obliquely inward in opposite directions from the same starting-point, as is clearly indicated in Fig. l. The degree of inclination or angle given to the diverging cuts may vary, in order to cause the intermediate portion of metal between the two cuts to be pointed more or less. As shown in Fig. 3, the cuts are in curved line, so as to leave an intermediate pointed spur or projection, 4. The two diverging cuts extend sufficiently far inward from the edge of the metal strip or fence-rail l to form pointed portions of metal, which, when bent or turned 5 5 at right angles to'the edge of the metal strip and in the plane of said strip, constitute the aforesaid spurs or barbs 2, as will readily be manifest.

In practice the fence-rail, or the strip of metal composing the same, is twisted in aspiral direction, so as to cause the spurs or barbs formed along the edge to extend from the rail in different directions. It will be understood that the spurs made by each V-shaped cut extend in opposite directions and at right angles to the edge of the fence-rail, and by twisting the latter it is obvious that the spurs are made to lie in different planes or positions, as above indicated. The portion of metal left between each V-shaped out also constitutes a barb, as is more clearly evidenced in Fig. 3. It is thus apparent that by simple incisions of a flat plate of metal in the peculiar manner set forth, I am enabled to produce barbed fence-rails with facility, ease, and dispatch; and, furthermore, the spurs or barbs are made to lie closer together than if produced by any of the methods heretofore known. Furthermore, by making ob- 8o lique incisions from the edge of the strip, said incisions extending in opposite directions from at or about the same starting-point, I provide spurs or barbs with sharp points, which can be more easily and cheaply made than by cutting the barbs in any other manner heretofore proposed.

Havingthus described my invention, what I. claim is- The method of forming pointed barbs or go spurs on fence-rails, consisting in making two diagonal incisions in a plain flat strip of metal, said incisions extending in opposite directions directly from the edge of the metal strip and from at or about the same starting-point, 9 5 and bending said out portions outwardly in the planeof' the strips, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN D. FORD.

Witnesses:

L. E. KENT, EDWARD H. BRIGGS. 

